Iranian threat dominates Peres, Romney meeting

President was keen to raise the issue of the threat that a nuclear Iran poses to world stability in meeting.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Netanyahu Romney (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Netanyahu Romney
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
The main thrust of the discussions between President Shimon Peres and Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate for president, was Iran.
Romney called on Peres at his official residence on Sunday morning after concluding a meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Peres was keen to raise the issue of the threat that a nuclear Iran poses to world stability.
The two men were on the same page with regard to Tehran.
Romney completely concurred that the threat Iran would pose to Israel, the region and the world is “incomprehensible and unacceptable.”
Like Israel, he told Peres, the US is greatly concerned about the development of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and will do everything possible to prevent it from becoming a nuclear-armed nation.
Peres reiterated what he has said previously to various world leaders including US President Barack Obama.
“We support the international coalition led by the United State of America in its policy of economic sanctions, while leaving all options on the table to deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran,” he said.
Peres and Romney also discussed the escalation of the crisis in Syria, the need for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel’s hopes in its relations with Egypt and various developments throughout the Middle East.
Romney told Peres that Israel and the US share a deep and abiding friendship and a commitment to many years of alliance. “We share a passion for freedom and democracy. We value human rights and dignity; we have an appreciation for the power of free enterprise to lift people from poverty; and we love peace and hope to share peace with our friends and other nations throughout the world, he said.”
Romney emphasized America’s bipartisan support for and commitment to Israel’s security.
On the Palestinian issue, Romney was in favor of a two-state solution, but was adamant that Hamas cannot be part of a peaceful resolution.
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Romney was very interested to hear Peres’s estimation of how Israel’s relations with Egypt would pan out, and expressed the hope that there would be greater economic cooperation between the two.
He noted that Israel’s reputation as a “start-up nation,” together with its advanced technology, could be beneficial as a basis for upgrading economic relations with Egypt.
In addition to Israel’s outrage at the atrocities that Syrian President Bashar Assad is perpetrating against his own people, Peres told Romney the country is carefully monitoring Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons.
Romney said the US is equally concerned about the Syrian violence and is anxious to find a path to peace that would lead to greater stability in the region.